Stories in the cube
by fairytaleofdust
Summary: a series of one-shots of things happening while Liz is being held in Red's cube. Please, send in prompts! *Mainly keenler, but please send prompts either if they are from other ships or ship neutral*
1. Conversations

He noticed the lights of the war room go off behind him. He didn't want to go home. there was nothing there for him but loneliness. He was tired, but he didn't want to sleep. He looked at the empty desk across the room and gave attention to the thought that didn't leave his head. She was back there. He wanted to feel happy about catching her, but he couldn't. The image of her being locked in that cage still hurting his /As he saw there was no one else in the room, he stood up and left in a hurry, one destiny only.

He turned on the lights in the room and noticed her moving inside the cube, raising her head over her eyes to protect them from the light. then, she turned and faced him. She looked serious, exhausted, sad, scared. He knew part of that fear was caused by him.

"Hope I didn't wake you" he said, approaching the cube

"Oh, well, not very 5 star hotel here, you know." she joked, and he smiled. Her face remained the same.

"Are you alright?" he asked,

"How can I be alright, Ressler? when I'm here just waiting to be killed"

"You won't be killed here, Liz. you're safe. Why can't you see that?"

"Why can't you see that I'm not? The people who want to kill me are not out there, they are here, right behind you. In your face, and you still can't see them. It's like you don't want to see them. Like you rather believe in them than in me" He came even closer to the cube, touching it with his fingers.

"I believe you, Liz, and I know where the enemy is. I'm not a fool."

"Are you sure?" she scorned, and he felt hurt. She had hurt him long enough in this chase. It was time to stop.

"I had this dream, once. I was running to you, but I couldn't get there. and you were dying. You were dying and I was always a step behind. That same day someone put a bounty on you, and I had to go in for a presidential hearing. I had no communication whatsoever with anybody from the post office all day."

"That's when we had to fake my death." she lowered her eyes, and then sat on the chair there was in the center of the box.

"Yes. It just took a minute for me to see Samar's message. 1 minute, and it was the scariest 1 minute in my life, Liz. for 1 minute, I thought…."

"That I was dead"

"yes. and in that day I decided that I would do anything to bring you in, so I could keep you safe. I don't care if you hate me, at least here no one can hurt you"

"How can you believe that? You turn your back now and the director comes and shoots me, there, I'm dead."

"He can't get to you. I'm the only one that can open this cube. If he wants to open it, he needs to get this hand first" he showed her his hand, and then closed it on a fist. "and he'll only get that over my dead body. I promised I would keep you safe, didn't I?"

She couldn't look at him. She felt an enormous wish to cry whenever she looked at him. She wanted to look strong, as if she didn't fear anything, to show him he was wrong, she could handle herself, she didn't need his protection. But then she remembered the things she saw on his face the day he caught her. The pain, the despair, the fear. She had caused all that. It was all in him now, because of her.

They stayed in silence for a few minutes, and then he turned around to go. "I don't hate you" she said, making him stop and turn on his heels.

"I don't. I think I should, but I don't. I understand. and I trust you." they found each other's eyes, and for a minute there, there was no pain or hurt or angst, just the two of them.

"Please, stay. It's horrible here with no one, in the dark." He walked over to the cube again, and then sat on the floor next to it, his back touching the glass wall. She did the same, back to back with him. and they stayed like this all night, talking about better days, and wishing for a better future.


	2. Breathless

Aram was minding his business, as usual, in an unusual day for the post office. It was all so calm and quiet, too calm and quiet, he would say. Truth was that Director Ressler had put him in a special task of monitoring the cube cage 24 hours. It was all calm and quiet there. Its occupant was very calm. She was sitting on the bed, looking out, probably thinking. It was all she could do.

The vital signs and technical information were all ok, so Aram turned his attention to something else. He had some old reports still to be done, so he thought he would use that time for them.

A few hours later, he turned to the monitor showing the cube data again. And something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He ran upstairs to the director's office and stormed into the room without knocking, startling the man behind the desk.

"Agent Ressler, we have a problem."

"What kind of problem, Aram?" Ressler stood up and went to the front of the desk, leaning on it while observing the man nearly hyperventilating in front of him. "Calm down, breathe and tell me"

"The cube… Liz…"

"What?" His senses activated immediately, and he was almost as nervous as Aram now.

"Something is wrong with the vitals, there must have been a cyber attack, I don't understand…"

"Aram! Tell me, what's going on?"

"The oxygen levels, in there, they are dropping. Fast"

He ran as fast as he could towards the room where the cage was, stumbling onto people in the way and not bothering to apologize. It wasn't important. Only she was.

He got there to see her starting to pant, scared.

"What's going on?" she asked as he stopped next to the palm reader that opened the cage and put his hand on it. Nothing. Denied. He pull out his phone.

"Aram, I can't open it!" he screamed at the phone, and heard the man typing fast on his computers.

"It's been overwritten, I don't understand. It's locked. No one can open it."

"Aram! Open it, now" and he hung up before he could hear an answer, running towards the cube. She was now starting to feel the consequences of poor oxygen.

"Ressler. What….I can't…. what's going on?"

"Calm down, Liz. Don't waste the air."

"What?" it only caused her to panic more. "What do you mean, air? What…." She had more and more difficulty to breathe, and was starting to cough.

"Ressler, why…?"

"I don't know. Someone hacked into the system. Aram is sorting it, calm down, you'll be okay."

She fell to her knees, and was coughing badly. His heart was hammering on his chest so hard it seemed it could come out at any second. He kneeled together with her, palms on the glass, trying to touch her, hold her.

"Aram!" he screamed, not knowing if the tech agent could actually hear him from down there. she had tears falling from her eyes now, as it became more and more difficult to breathe. She was coughing and going down to the ground, and Ressler didn't know what to do. He wanted to break that glass, he needed to. He stood up and went to the other side, drawing his gun and shooting at the impenetrable glass. Nothing. Not even a dent. He knew that, he had been inside there while people tried to shoot it open. But now it was her there, and it wasn't safe. She was lying on the ground now, holding to her chest as air faltered, and he ran to her as she put a hand on the glass. He put his hand on hers through the glass, and they both looked at each other. He could see her desperation as she lost her breath.

"Liz! Liz, stay with me, Liz, don't….please!" he was tapping hard on the glass, and when she lost conscience, he stood up and started banging on it, trying to break it with his own hands. He was crying, looking at her there lying on the ground. He did everything to keep her safe, and now she was dying on his watch, in his safe place. That wasn't right. He tried to knock it down, trowing his body against the glass.

A loud beep announced that the cube was about to be opened. Aram did it. he only wished it wasn't too late. He stepped back as it opened, and then entered quickly to take her in his arms. She wasn't breathing.

"Liz! Liz, please wake up, please!" He turned her over so she would be on her back and started pounding on her heart, trying to make it stronger. Her pulse was so weak it was nearly gone. He put his mouth over hers and blew air into her lungs, then going back to her heart, in a synchronized rhythm.

He did this a few more times, with no response. One last time he blew air into her lungs and then remained there, his lips on hers, giving her their first and what seemed to be last kiss. He stood back holding her in his arms, tucking her hair behind her ears when her lifeless body started to move, and she started coughing. He held her head up so she could breathe again.

"OK, ok, you're ok, just breathe, just breathe." He said, relieved, as she regained conscience and air filled her lungs again. She was taking deep breaths and coughing as she came to her senses and noticed she was lying on the ground with him holding her on his knees.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice rough and weak.

"Nothing. You're fine now" he lied, and wondered if Aram was already investigating who had invaded the system and shut down the live supply in the cube. He heard steps coming into the room and noticed paramedics had arrived to take her to the hospital. He allowed them to take her from him, and stood up giving orders and observing as they did their job. When she was already secured in the stretcher, he went to her.

"You'll be alright, Liz. We'll find out what happened" she took his hand on hers and squeezed, and then turned her head to face him.

"You already know what happened, who did it." he nodded, annoyed that she was right. It had to be the Cabal. It had to be The Director. He knew that she would no longer be safe there.

"I'll go to the hospital in a minute, ok? We'll figure this out." She held his hand while the paramedics took her until it was no longer possible to hold without him moving, and he watched as she was taken away, again. Then, he turned on his feet and moved upstairs to figure out what the hell had happened, and what was his next move.


	3. Heart to heart

She was pacing back and forth inside the cube, impatiently. He approached in silence and she didn't notice he was there until he spoke.

"Are you trying to open a whole on the floor to escape?" he grinned as she turned, startled.

"God! Ress! I didn't see you there!"

"Are you okay, Liz?"

"How can I be okay? I'm in here, aren't I?" Every time she said of how bad it was to be in there, he felt guilty. She was there because of him, after all. "What time is it?" she asked. She had no notion of time whatsoever, no windows to show her if it was day or night.

He looked at his watched and raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Wow, it's 11pm already."

"Are you going home?" she said, wishing she could be going home as well. Then she remembered that she didn't have a home. She was living in a motel before everything started. God, even then her life was a mess.

"No" he shook his head. "I haven't been home ever since we caught you." She could see the tiredness in his eyes. He looked exhausted.

"Ress, you need to rest."

"I'll rest when this is over, Keen." he was determined, and she knew nothing she said would convince him otherwise. She was worried about him, though.

"Isn't it over for you? I mean, you did your job, you caught me." He looked at her with hurtful eyes, and she felt as if something had punched her stomach. Throughout her time on the run, she believed (or was made to believe) that Ressler was against her. What if that wasn't what he meant?

"Ress, why did you catch me?" she asked, looking for an honest conversation. "You know how far the Cabal goes, where they are. How can you think I'm safer here?"

He looked down, thinking, and then approached the cube. "Because you're here with me. Not out there with Reddington or Tom. They are criminals, Liz. How can you be so sure they won't put you into something you can't get out of?" She thought of all the things that happened while she was running with Red. The threats, the men he killed and she just observed. The man she roughed up in the dinner, or the cop she shot. Tom probably caught Karakurt through illegal methods too, she was sure someone must have gotten hurt. He was right.

"When it comes to facing the Director. If he comes to kill me, here. What will you do? Do you really expect that I will be cleared in a court, that they won't corrupt anything in there?" somehow Ressler had a naive notion that justice would prevail, and it was starting to make her mad. He was in the middle of it, working with the people from the Cabal. How can he think that?

He thought of it everyday since it all started. He wanted to believe that she would be exonerate the right way, but then remembered how easy it was for Solomon to get out of his hands. Diplomatic Immunity. The bastards where high in the government. He looked at her. Her eyes were empty, the usual glow that he loved so much is gone. He felt just as empty inside. They were in a dead end situation.

"I just want to keep you alive, Liz. I need to. I...The idea of you...dead...it's..." they looked into each other's eyes, and for a moment, he wanted to open that box and take her in his arms. He needed her. Needed to feel her against him, feel her heartbeat, feel that she was alive. He was so confused, he had no idea what this turmoil of feelings he had inside him meant. All he knew is that he needed to keep her alive, or else, he would die.

"They will kill me. You and I both know I won't make it out of here alive. I'm right in the lion's den. And they will kill you, too. Ress, if they kill you..." she stopped to think. She had never thought of that possibility. They were using him, his connection to her. They were messing with him, she could see that. She didn't need her skills as a profiler to see that the man in front of her was broken. She knew him, he was easy to break. They would kill him if he tried to protect her. They would kill him if he helped her escape. They are going to kill him after she's dead. There's no escape.

"They don't need to kill me if you're dead. I'll do it myself." He seemed serious, and she felt sick. She whispered a 'no' and shook her head, fighting to keep the tears inside.

"Let's go together, then. You and me. Let's run from all this." she proposed, and for a second, he considered.

What would happen if he let her go? If they both went away, disappeared from all this? What would happen to them, alone, together, out there? He looked at the palm reader next to the box, the one that only he could open. Somehow, she was safe in there. Would she be safer out there, with him?

There were too many questions for him to consider, so he brushed the thought away from his mind. Let's see how it goes, first. Let's trust the system, first.

She approached the glass and put her palm there, longingly. He took a deep breath, hating to see her in there.

"Let me go, Ress. Please. Give me a chance."

He felt tears coming to his eyes. he brushed his fingers over the glass, where her palm was. "I am, Liz. You'll be safe, I promise."

* * *

A/N - thanks to sugar1621 for the idea. I don't know if it was meant to be so angsty, but to be honest, I had written a lighter version, but accidentally erased from my phone. xD

Keep sending promts, and reviews! It's very important for me to know what you are thinking!


	4. Hate

I really really need this next chapter. The more I think about what could happen after Liz is in that box, the more I see angst and ugly crying and negativity. DAMN why can't this kids just love each other?

* * *

He rubbed his tired eyes with his thumb to try and push the tiredness away. When he looked at his watch, he was surprised to see it was already 9 o'clock, and he had been staring at the same piece of paper all afternoon.

He hasn't been able to concentrate, not since that day. He could still feel her moving as he tried to pin her to the ground, her stone cold eyes staring at him right behind his eyelids.

And now, she was right there. Right downstairs in that box, probably hating on him. Every time he thought about her he thought she hated him. And then he hated himself for taking the blame. It wasn't his fault. She had done that to herself, and he wouldn't take it.

He remembers her words in the truck while she was being transported there.

"You'll have a trial, a fair trial and they will clear you" he said, trying to calm her down, reassure her.

She looked at him, the same cold eyes she had been giving him ever since that day through the gates of the Russian Embassy.

"You and I both know I'm not getting out of that court alive"

"I'll keep you safe" he said, for the millionth time, and then said it again as they closed her inside the box. He just wished she understood it.

He gave up on that report, there was no reason to bother with that anymore. He knew what he wanted.

He looked at the war room completely empty. Once again the people had gone home and he didn't notice it. They didn't even try convincing him to go home anymore. They knew he wouldn't.

The last time he went home, he was a wreck, and he did something stupid. It was like that place was forbidden until he solved that.

He walked around the empty room, the screens now turned off for the night, and then stopped at his mural. Her face stared back at him, her serious FBI badge photo. Her hair was brown then, that woman he recognized. He turned to look at the room that they used to share, and it was like a film rolling in his head, picturing times when they laughed in there. Times when he felt whole.

That's when it stroke him. He hated her. He hated that blonde woman downstairs, the woman who had mercilessly wrecked him. He hated what her choices made him do, but most of all, he hated what she had taken from him.

He took a deep breath and then marched towards her. It was time. She had no escape, and she had to know.

He approached with caution as he noticed she was awake, but distracted lying on her back on the cold steel bed provided in there. She noticed him coming and sat up, staring at him.

"Hi" she said, and he nearly fell for her soft voice. It was almost as if she cared. No, stay strong, Ressler, he tried to convince himself as he came closer and his eyes found her, no longer cold. Tired, but tender, not cold. "How are you?"

She said it and he didn't know if he should crumble down at her feet or if he should stay uptight as the robot she considers him now. Maybe it had been a mistake coming down here.

"Ress?" She whispered his name, as she stood up and approached the glass, and he felt a sob trying to escape his lips. He was about to crumble. His plan of giving her the blame about to fail as he was completely at her mercy, as always. He was already there, though, so he might as well just say it.

"How am I? I'm a mess right now, Liz. I can't think straight, I've done things I never thought I would, I can't sleep, I barely eat." She listened to him with attention, as if she knew he deserved that chance to speak. She was giving him that chance.

He chuckled at the thought that she was once again genuinely listening to him, and caring. "And the irony of all that is that whenever a case got to me like that, whenever something hit me too hard, there was only one person that could calm me down, set things straight. My partner. You don't know her. Short brown hair, blue eyes, a smile that can light up a building. She knew me, she knew parts of me that even I can't figure out."

He noticed a tear roll down her face as she kept still, just looking at him. That rebel tear that escaped her eye and ran down her face just like she escaped from him, and ran away.

"She's gone now. She's left me. She doesn't care anymore." That made her cry. Her lips were trembling and her tears were no longer trying to stay in her eyes. He didn't care. Or wished he didn't.

"Ress"

"No, Liz, it's my time to talk now. You talk about the things I did to you, well you don't know half of the things you did to me. You have no idea what this whole thing has done to me, how I am now. You and Red like to call me a Robot of the FBI, a heartless man; well, if I am heartless, that's because you took my heart with you when you chose to run. When you forced me to chase you, when you chose him. I said that I was going to help you and I meant it, I will. I would leap off a building for you, Liz, I would. So I won't allow you and Red and Tom to make me the villain here, because I'm not."

She kneeled down, sobbing, and he looked at her with the same cold stare she had for him. Inside, he was desperate, wanting to open that box and hold her close and tell her it was going to be okay. But he hated her, as much as he loved her, and the opposite feelings were crashing inside him in a battle of the century, as he watched her crumble. Good. He had crumbled so many times because of her. Let her now crumble for him.

"It's up to you now. You have my heart. You can finish crushing it, or you can do something about it."

He held a sob before it escaped his mouth and looked down to let a tear escape his eyes straight to the floor. He saw as it hit the tip of his shoe.

He turned around, trying to ignore as she looked at him sad, announcing that his plan of being cruel had been successful.

"Why?" She screamed as he walked slowly towards the door. "Why come here and tell me all these things like this?"

He stopped and tried to control his emotions, but it was too hard.

"Because you hurt me, Liz! Because you destroyed me, I'm absolutely nothing without you. So I might as well be the robot you made of me."

He had stomped toward the glass and was now really close, his palms agains the wall and his face close to hers, so close that if it wasn't for the glass, their lips would be touching. So close that she could nearly count he freckles on his cheek. So close that she could clearly see the rage and the hurt inside his eyes.

She caressed his forehead over the glass, trying to soothe him, and he nearly felt her touch, or at least the memory of when she did that to calm him down came running back to him. He allowed himself to cry, touching the glass with his forehead, wishing it could go straight to her lap.

"I miss you, liz" he confessed, all his plan of hating her going down the drain.  
"I miss you too" she whispered, her palms on the glass where his head would be, if she was able to hold it.


End file.
